Draft Statement by the C.C. R.S.D.L.P.(B.) and the Bureau of the Bolshevik Group to the All-Russia Congress of Soviets Regarding the Ban on the Demonstration[1]

Written:Written on June 11 (24), 1917Published:First published in 1924, inByloyeNo. 24.

      Published according to the manuscript.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1977,

      Moscow,Volume 25,

      pages77-78.Translated:Transcription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive.  

      2002You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Wehold that the unique institution known as the
      Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies is
      the nearest approach to a popular body expressing the
      will of the majority of the people, to a revolutionary
      parliament.

Onprinciple we have been, and are, in favour of all power
      passing into the hands of such a body, despite the fact that at
      present it is in the hands of the defencist Mensheviks and
      Socialist-Revolutionaries, who are hostile to the party of the
      proletariat.

Thefact that the position of the Soviets is internally
      contradictory, shaky and unstable, and powerless in regard to
      the counter-revolution, is due to their tolerating a nest of
      counter-revolution—the ten bourgeois Ministers—and
      to their not breaking with Anglo-French imperialist capital. The
      shakiness of their position accounts for the nervousness of the
      present majority of the Soviets and their touchiness towards
      those who point out this shakiness.

Werefuse to co-ordinate our struggle against the counter
      revolution with the “struggle” of the defencist and
      ministerialist parties.

Wecannot recognise the decisions of the Soviets as proper
      decisions taken by a proper government as long as there remain
      the ten bourgeois, counter-revolutionary Ministers who are part
      and parcel of the Milyukov spirit, and the Milyukov class. But
      even if the Soviets seized all power (which we

      want and would always support), and even if they became an
      omnipotent revolutionary parliament, we wouldnotsubmit
      to decisions that restrained our freedom of propaganda, for
      instance, prohibiting leaflets at the front or in therear,
      banning peaceful demonstrations, and so on. In that event we would
      prefer to become an illegal, officially persecuted party, rather
      than give-up our Marxist, internationalist principles.

Weshall act similarly if the Congress of Soviets sees fit to
      brand us officially before the entire population of Russia as
      “enemies of the people” or as “enemies of the
      revolution”.

Weregard only one of the motives given for banning the
      demonstration for three days as conditionally valid, namely,
      that concealed counter-revolutionaries lying in wait wanted to
      take advantage of the demonstration. If the facts underlying
      this motive are correct, and if the names of the counter
      revolutionaries are known to the entire Soviet (as they are
      known to us privately from the verbal information given by
      Lieber and others on the Executive Committee), then these
      counter-revolutionaries should be immediately proclaimed enemies
      of the people and arrested, and their followers and helpers
      tried in court.

Aslong as the Soviet does not take such measures, even its
      valid motive is only conditionally valid, or altogether in
      valid.

[1]Thebasic provisions of the draft were incorporated in the
declaration of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.) and the Bureau
of the Bolshevik group at the First All-Russia Congress of Soviets
concerning the Congress ban on the peaceful demonstration fixed
by the Bolshevik Party for June 10 (23).